"So... You want me to be your arch nemesis?" Hoyden asked, cocking his head curiously. He stared at Luna across the kitchen table of the apartment, his bowl of spicy oats pushed to the side and forgotten.

"Yes, exactly!" Luna said with a smile. "You have the requisite training for stunt work, you know how to handle explosives, you know stage fighting-"

"Yeah, I do, but I am kind of recognizable," Hoyden said uneasily. Luna shook her head.

"Nonsense! You just need a garish costume. Something that ponies will remember, to take their minds off your other recognizable features," Luna said encouragingly. "Or just a genuinely frightening one."

"Yeah, but I don't think I can pull off the Nightmare Moon look," Hoyden pointed out wryly. Luna shook her head, covering her mouth with a hoof to contain a smile.

"I'm sure you'll think of something. It works best if it's something in direct contrast to the colors of my costume, like orange or green."

"Orange and green huh? Okay," Hoyden said with a nod. "Do I need some hench ponies?"

"Well, if you think you need them get some," Luna said. "Now, look. The thing is simple. Just make a public nuisance of yourself, nothing illegal."

"How about the public library?" Hoyden asked. "I could get a 'performance art' permit and make the whole thing one big show!"

"Really? You can do that?" Luna asked. She clapped her hooves in delight. "Wonderful! I'll send a letter to Rarity right away, and commission a new costume! This is great, thank you Hoyden!"

"No problem," Hoyden said, raising a hoof to his forehead in a salute. "I'll be ready by Friday!"

"Hey, I am a stunt pony after all," Hoyden said with a grin. "It'll be just fine!"

The Diamond Dog leader had seen far better days, but he was still big, strong and powerful. Even in this dingy den just outside the Canterlot city limits, he and his companions were an imposing lot.

Fortunately, the pony across the table knew how to project confidence even when in short supply.

"I'm glad you came," the pony said, keeping him or herself in the shadows. "I was beginning to think you'd never get here."

"Pony note only noticed after we finished food," the lead Diamond dog explained. He rubbed his jaw. "Also, gems in food. Very painful."

"Owwww," his companions whined, also rubbing their jaws. The pony in the shadows twitched.

"That was your down payment," he or she hissed.

"So... We should not have been swallowing them?" Asked the leader. The pony in the shadows groaned.

"Look... If you work for me, I'll pay you so many gems even you won't be able to swallow them all."

"But we never wanted to swallow them at all-" Tried the smallest Diamond dog, but a growl from the pony in shadows silenced him.

"What will pony be wantin' then?" Asked the leader. The pony produced a photograph, and pushed it across the table. The three Diamond dogs gathered around as their leader picked it up. All three scrutinized it.

"This book is kept in the Canterlot Central Library," the pony said. "It is of great value to me. It contains powerful magics."

The pony rummaged around in his or her saddle bags, and produced a small pile of gems. The Diamond Dog's eyes soon became as shiny as the treasure before them.

"And there's more where these came from," the pony in the shadows said, his or her grin visible even in the darkness.

"Piece of meat pie!" Said the leader, scooping up the gems into his vest. "When you be wantin' the prize?"

"As soon as possible," the pony in the shadows said. "This book is of great importance. I might even help your race with it's great power, if you get it to me."

"Why get it to you, when book might help us just as easily?" Sneered the smallest Diamond Dog. The pony growled, and eyes glowed in the darkness. All three dogs backed off, gulping audibly.

"Because the great-I mean I don't need that book to turn you all into houseflies," growled the pony. "Now get going!"

"Y-Yes pony! Yes!" Squeaked the leader. All three departed the dive, leaving the mysterious pony to chuckle. It had been expensive, but it would be worth every gem in the end...

On Friday morning, Luna was sitting in the Canterlot Central Library as she read through newspapers and books while drinking coffee. While she usually preferred tea, coffee was apparently integral to the whole superhero thing.

"Blech... I need to cover the foul taste of the coffee with something tastier," Luna grimaced. "Sundance? Any ideas?"

"That's probably one of the oldest problems of Ponykind, Your Highness," Sundance said, trotting over with a plate of coffee, sugar, cream and milk on her head. She set it down on the table and smiled. "How to make our addictions more palatable."

"Ahhh... Of course! The addictive qualities of caffeine," Luna said. "Which is also in chocolate," she growled, glaring at the mug.

"Didn't you have coffee back then?" Sundance asked.

"No, it's actually a fairly recent invention. Back then we only had alcohol, opiates, and chocolate without sugar. Which is still better than coffee." Luna huffed. "I guess some things get worse with age."

"I suppose," Sundance said. "So, what paperwork are you doing now?"

"Hm? Oh, I finished all of that an hour ago," Luna said, waving her hoof negligently. "Really, a few revisions to tort laws, cutting import duties at Manehattan Harbor, assigning some ponies to the Regulation of Regulation Regulations section in a decade, and approving new anti-Ninja Pony measures at all government facilities. Not even a challenge."

"So, what are you... Oh no," Sundance groaned, holding a hoof to her head as Luna held up a copy of The Survival Minded Pony Self Defense Catalog, which had a photo of Fluttershy on it modeling the latest hoofgun. "Don't tell me..."

"Well, it's a very useful publication," Luna said, a bit defensively.

"What did you order? Auto cannons? Bombs?" Sundance asked wearily.

"Of course not!" Luna said. "I just ordered the grappling hook gun, gauntlets, some shuriken..." She looked at the ceiling. "Maybe a smoke bomb or two..."

"You didn't order it dropped off at the house, did you?" Sundance asked, her hoof going to her enlarged stomach.

"Absolutely not, that would be preposterous! It's being dropped off here in the next hour, along with my new costume," Luna said.

"Here huh?" Sundance leaned over the table and glared at Luna. "And why here? In that time frame?"

"Um... No reason," Luna said, looking to the side. Sundance's glare was increased by a fair margin, and Luna winced.

"... Your foal is going to be powerless against that," Luna muttered.

"I've had a lot of practice with children, no matter their age," Sundance said smugly. "Now what is it?" Luna sighed.

"Well, Hoyden is going to play a supervillain and I'm going to come in as Mare-Do-Well and stop him," she explained. Sundance groaned.

"Luna!"

"It's just for... You know, practice," Luna said with a shrug. "Very easy, very safe, we have a performance art permit from the mayor's office-"

"It's a library," Sundance hissed. "You really want to cause stuff to blow up in here?"

"Nothing will blow up! I have assurances from the catalog that the smoke bombs do not cause fires," Luna said defensively.

"I meant the fact you're a living goddess," Sundance said wearily. "Your Majesty, this isn't something you can just play at with how powerful you are!"

"Thank you," Sundance said, sighing in relief. Luna pushed her hooves together, and her entire form briefly glowed. Sundance winced a bit, but then blinked rapidly as she saw that Luna was now... Missing a few things.

"What," she said flatly as Luna rubbed her hornless forehead and her wingless back. While her disguise had always been unbelievably effective (a pair of glasses could apparently hide the fact she was an alicorn), now she looked downright normal, save for her cutie mark.

"Your majesty, with respect, that's not much of a hindrance to you," Sundance pointed out dryly.

Luna actually beamed. "You think so?"

"That's not a compliment!" Sundance growled. Luna smiled and rested a hoof on Sundance's shoulder.

"Sundance, don't worry! We'll just have some... Practice, a little fun, and we'll be out in a jiggy!"

"A jiffy."

"Yes, that! Don't worry so much!" Luna turned and stood for a moment. She looked back over at her back in confusion... And smiled sheepishly.

"Oops. Forgot," she said. She turned and trotted out. "See you later, Sundance!" She said, a little too loudly. Sundance covered her face with her hooves.

"I'm really going to regret this, I just know it," she mumbled.

A few blocks away from the Canterlot Central Library, a display had been set up. A banner proudly announcing "The Flim Flam Brothers Motoring Company" was held over a curtain drawn across the sidewalk, and many a curious pony had stopped to check it out.

Flim and Flam, two roguish looking unicorns in dark blue jackets, bright red ties and slicked back manes came out, smiling out at the crowd.

At some murmurs of assent from the crowd, the two brothers grinned cheerfully.

"Well you're in luck, friend!" Flam cried. "For you see, the Flim Flam Motoring Company has an invention all of you will not be able to live without!"

"Behold," Flim said, his horn glowing to draw back the curtains. "The FFMC Bimotor Advanced Transport!"

The crowd oohed and ahhed at the contraption before them. It's shape was like that of a bicycle, in that it had two wheels, one in front of the other. The resemblance ended there, though-The two wheels were large, wide black rubber affairs with circular discs pressed into the sides. From the disks came sleek piping that connected the two wheels, with two autocannons and hook launchers on the front and exhaust pipes that resembled wings pointing from the back. In the center, the apparatus for controlling the vehicle became obvious: Two gauntlet-like devices for the forward hooves in front, and pedals in the back with a slim support cushion on the center line.

"Unlike a clumsy steam locomotive or pull-less carriage," Flim said, pointing behind the crowd as a blue carriage with a noisy steam engine carrying several Diamond Dogs passed by behind them, "like that one there, the BAT's engines are in fact in it's wheels!"

"Oooh," the crowd sounded in appreciation.

"It is a light, fast vehicle, steered by the merest shift in your weight!" Flam added, his hoof moving over the vehicle as though outlining it's form, "and it's chassis is done in pure stainless steel!"

"Ahhh!" The crowd responded. Flim grabbed hold of a charcoal-coated pony in orange and green and pulled him forward.

"Sir, you look like a snappy dresser and a smart stallion!" He said.

"I'm glad to hear that," Hoyden said, holding up his hooves. "But I really need to be going-"

"Ah, in a hurry? The BAT can solve that problem for you!" Said Flam. "The BAT can get you anywhere on a modest amount of coal, and can tow several thousand pounds with the appropriate attachments! It's perfect for your wife as well!"

"Why does it have guns? And grappling hooks?" Asked Hoyden, quite reasonably.

"Hmm... Got me there," Hoyden said with a shrug and a grin. "Tell me more!"

"Ugh," Sundance huffed, tossing her latest book selection aside. "This 'Ask' series of interview biographies is getting disgusting... Not to mention implausible. I mean really! A time travelling sociopath going to the future so he can have sex with three fillies he met in foalhood? Can you believe anything so vile gets published?"

"Hey, it's no worse than the Clop Fiction Publishing House's works," the librarian at the desk said with a shrug. She looked over her horn rimmed glasses at Luna's hoofmaiden. "Of course, you probably know that better than I."

"I-It-I only read it for uh, the articles," Sundance said with a blush. The librarian pony smiled at her knowingly.

"It's all right, I was the same way when I was pregnant with my first foal," the librarian said with a smile and a pat of Sundance's hoof. The blonde pony smiled back.

"Thanks for being so understanding, it's very..." She trailed off as she saw several Diamond Dogs in trenchcoats enter the library. They split up in the center, heading into several different areas. None of them spoke to anypony as they passed.

"Well that's odd," the librarian said softly. Sundance frowned.

"Yes, it is," she said, getting a very bad feeling in the pit of her stomach. She moved towards the front doors, intent on finding Luna or a police pony. A mare came through at the same time, and Sundance stopped short. The mare in question was light blue in coat and nearly white in mane, with a black turtleneck, gray trenchcoat, and a matching wide brimmed pointed hat. Her eyes were covered in tinted goggles.

"Trixie?" Sundance gasped. The mare's jaw dropped.

"Ah? No, I-"

"Trixie Trotter, it's been years!" Sundance said, a smile now on her lips. "Remember me? Sundance? I lived next door to you in the Sundown district?" She took Trixie's hoof in between hers, as the mare began to sweat. "We used to play all the time before you went off to magic school!"

"Ah, no, you have Trixie confused with some other, far more great and powerful pony!" She protested.

"Nonsense, I'd recognize you anywhere!" Sundance said cheerfully. "I saw your posters a few times! I always wanted to see one of your shows but I was always too busy with my job! How are you?"

The blue unicorn fidgeted.

"... Fine," Trixie answered with a sigh. Sundance frowned, moving her head back a little to take Trixie in better.

"You don't sound fine," Sundance said. "Everything all right?"

"The Great and Powerful Trixie is quite fine! She is simply exploring new avenues, new audiences and new means of performance!" Trixie said quickly. "Trixie is simply dressed this way to... Uh..."

"Oh, wait," Sundance groaned and held her head. "Let me guess..." Her voice lowered. "My husband hired you for this gig, right?"

"Shhh!" The librarian shushed. The two mares nodded to her, before returning their gazes back to each other.

"Yeah," Sundance said. "It's... Complicated, but I'm really sorry you have to do this," Sundance said, giving Trixie a sympathetic pat on the hoof. Trixie cleared her throat nervously and tugged at her collar.

"Ah... Of course... Think nothing of it. The great and powerful Trixie is always happy to help out our local superheros," she said. Sundance smiled brightly.

"Yes, yes, hopefully," Trixie agreed. There was silence for a bit. Sundance raised an eyebrow.

"You know, you can begin any time you like," Sundance said flatly. "I mean, what are you waiting for? Your permit time to start?"

"Uh?" Trixie asked, quite thrown off. "Trixie does not-"

"Oh for..." She took Trixie's right hoof, turned herself around, and brought Trixie's fore leg around her neck. "There. I'm a hostage. That better?" Sundance asked with a sigh.

"Uh..." Trixie tried. "Trixie... Guesses?"

"Now tell your goons to throw off their trenchcoats and, I don't know, yell it's a stick up or something," Sundance said. "Come on, I know this is small scale but you could at least put some effort into it, right?"

Trixie shook her head, and nodded.

"You're absolutely right!" She pointed her left hoof at the ceiling, upon which was a hoof gun. She flexed her hoof once, pushing the trigger.

BANG!

Cries of dismay sounded all over the library, as the Diamond Dogs threw off their trenchcoats and revealed a wide variety of weapons in their grasping paws.

"EVERYPONY! THIS IS A STICK UP! THE GREAT AND POWERFUL... uh... ME DEMANDS YOU ALL GET ON THE FLOOR, HOOVES BEHIND YOUR HEADS!" Trixie bellowed.

"Not bad, could use some work," Sundance said, wincing from the close proximity of the gunshot. "Realistic props though, I thought that wasn't a blank for a second!"

"Well, Trixie tries her best..." The unicorn said modestly. "THE GREAT AND POWERFUL er... I ORDER YOU TO BEGIN YOUR SEARCH!"

"Yes, Trixie thinks he may have been drinking paint thinner before we came here."

"Ahhh, a method actor," Sundance said with a knowing nod.

The Mysterious Mare-Do-Well finished pulling on her mask, and placed her hat upon her head. She checked her reflection in the public bathroom mirror, and nodded her approval.

"Rarity has really outdone herself this time," she said with a smile that was barely visible under her mask.

Her purple costume was now visibly armored, with several interconnecting pieces of various materials in solid panels and mesh joints. Her hind boots had metal rings around them to aid in kicks, and her fore hooves were now covered in metal gauntlets, which combined with the scalloped gauntlets made her look much more intimidating.

"Wonderful," she decided. She exited the bathroom, and took aim at a building above her with her new grapnel gun. Ignoring the gasps and murmurs of the ponies around her, she fired her grapnel gun with a grin.

"Up, up, and away!" She cried, hitting the winch on the gun. The winch whirred for a while... A long moment... Luna glared at the line above her.

"Catch already!" She growled, exasperated. "Woah!"

She got her wish and was soon ascending quickly. Very quickly. In fact, so quickly Luna was unable to dodge a gargoyle on her way up.

"GAH! Ow!" She cried, kicking her hooves against the side of the building to get out from under the gargoyle. She reached the roof, and reached up with one hoof. She grunted and yanked herself up, rolling up on top. She took several deep breaths.

"Haa... Haa... Perhaps... I should have practiced a bit more first," she mused aloud. "Hoo..."

She trotted across the rooftop, and broke into a gallop when her breath was caught. She leaped across the divide and threw open her cape. She was able to glide, and made it to the next rooftop. However, her front hooves landed on gravel and she slipped.

"EEP!" Luna squeaked, flipping over and landing on her back. "Oof! Ow...!" She rolled back onto her hooves and shook out her head.

"Well... One down," she said. She trotted to the edge of the roof and looked towards the library. "And..." She sighed.

"Seven left to go..."

Maybe she should have gotten a vehicle first.

Back in the library, Trixie's arm had gotten tired. Hence, she'd allowed Sundance to rest at a table in the middle of the reference section. Trixie sat nearby, watching her Diamond Dogs continue their search. A very short one came up to her and saluted.

"Great and Powerful Pony! So far, nothing!" The dog reported.

"Well, keep looking!" Trixie ordered. "The Great and Powerful Trixie is not paying you to stand around!"

"The Diamond Dog Eugene-Er, I mean, I understand!" The Diamond Dog, apparently named Eugene, replied.

"Also, could you get me a drink? I'm a little parched," Sundance asked. The dog blinked and looked over at Trixie. The blue unicorn sighed.

"Trixie wishes you to get her a drink."

"At once, Great and Powerful Pony!" Eugene replied, scurrying off. Sundance rested her hooves on the desk and gave her childhood friend an encouraging smile.

"It's not so bad. Your minions are doing very well," she said.

"Yes, but we have not found what I, Trixie, seeks!" Trixie scowled.

"Well, what are you looking for? It's a little unusual to rob a library," Sundance pointed out. Eugene returned, with a juice box. Sundance smiled at him as she took it "Thank you."

"You're welcome, pony!" Eugene replied. He headed off, and only when he was gone did Trixie speak.

"Trixie is hoping to obtain a copy of Ostalliones' grimoire," Trixie explained, looking around carefully. "An ancient book of magic. It was said to drain magical energy from the very air and enhance the power of the spellcaster."

"And you'll use it to... Let me guess, take over the world?" Sundance asked dryly.

Heck, she was mirroring Luna's desire. That made for good drama. Hoyden wasn't the only pony who could appreciate comics.

"You want to practice for the Mare-Do-Well, right?" Sundance asked.

"It... I, Trixie, may have exaggerated her abilities slightly when it came to dealing with things like Ursa Majors," she explained carefully, "and so when a real Ursa arrived, I... I could not defeat it. Twilight Sparkle did so," she said bitterly.

"Oh... So you heard my husband's job offer and took it!" Sundance gasped.

"... Trixie thinks going with that is the best course of action, yes," the unicorn said.

"You poor dear," Sundance said, patting Trixie's hoof. "So uh... Why do you think this book is here, anyway?" She asked, changing the subject. Trixie had always been happiest when pretending. Getting her back into her role would help her use her tragedy for it.

Trixie smiled broadly. "My great and powerful research has revealed that the last pony to hold it was a civil servant of the Equestrian Court named Duke Xavier Machina, who did most of his work here! A century ago, Machina put the grimoire in the rare books collection of this library. But! It was not found there when I searched. Nor was it in his home, Trixie has checked. And it is certainly not in circulation, or in anypony's private collection, so Trixie came here, as the last possible place it could be!"

Sundance really had to give her husband credit-Trixie was playing a fantastic villain. Luna would be so pleased. Still, why not help out the performance a little?

"Well... You said he was a civil servant, right?" Sundance asked. Trixie nodded. "What kind?"

"A Master of Regulators," Trixie said. Sundance thought about it.

"Hmm... Where would a regulator hide a book where he knew nopony would ever find it?" She mused aloud. Sundance's eyes widened.

"Of course!" She said with a grin.

Some time later, Luna made it to the alley right behind the library.

"AAHHH-!"

THUD.

"Owwww," Luna moaned, pulling herself up from the crumpled heap she had become when she'd landed. She stretched her aching muscles out and trotted out, looking around the corner at the front of the building.

"Hmm... Hoyden's already gotten started, I see," she mused, seeing barricades up and several royal guards keeping post outside the library. There was a crowd too, filled with curious looking ponies. Luna grimaced and pulled back.

"Gotten very started... And it's causing a disruption..." She sighed and held her head. "Maybe Sundance was right... Maybe this is a stupid idea..."

Luna scowled.

"And this costume is hot, dark, sweaty and it gives me a headache," she groaned, rubbing her temples.

She looked up as a mechanical whine filled the air. From behind the library came a two wheeled metallic vehicle. Riding upon it was Hoyden, who was grinning in his garish orange and green suit.

"Hahaha! Now all ponies shall tremble before... Huh?" The stunt pony came to a stop next to Luna, and stepped off. "What are you doing out here?"

"No, they couldn't make it," Hoyden said with a frown. "They had a big show to do. I bought this vehicle to try and make up for it..." His eyes widened and his ears rose. "Uh oh."

"Yes, uh oh," Luna replied sarcastically. She broke her suppression spell, her body glowing. "I just have to get in there and... Ah?" She gasped as her aura was... Drawn through the wall of the library, like smoke drawn into a fan.

"Uh... What just happened?" Hoyden asked.

Luna's aura abruptly terminated. The stallion jerked his head at her, shocked.

"Hey, what gives? We need to get in there, and you can stop them a lot more easily as Princess Luna than you can as Mare-Do-Well," Hoyden hissed.

"No I can't," Luna said grimly. "Not if they've got what I think they've got. To the back alley, Hoyden!" She turned and galloped off. Hoyden sighed and followed.

"I guess it helps her flanks look good in the suit," he muttered.

Trixie looked around at the room Sundance had led her and a few of her Diamond Dogs to. It was circular, and cut through three floors of the library. Above them was a chandelier, and below them was a stained glass floor, depicting the two Sister Goddesses chasing the sun and moon. It was really quite breathtaking.

"Achoo!" Trixie sneezed. Or at least, it would have been breathtaking if not for the enormous amount of dust in the room.

"Pretty room," said one of the Diamond Dogs. He too sneezed. "YACHOO! But why so dusty?"

"Because it contains the least checked out books in all of Equestria," Sundance explained, covering her nose with a handkerchief. She trotted along the section, reading the titles and knocking on some of the books.

"What?" Asked Trixie. Sundance stopped when her tapping produced a different sound. She pulled out that book, with more than a little difficulty. It was a beast of a book, almost as wide as Trixie's head, and Sundance grunted as she slammed it down on the floor.

"Regulation Manuals on Proper Regulations Regulation!" Sundance said cheerfully. "A pony could hide a dragon in this room and nobody would find it for decades!" She opened the large manual, revealing it was in fact hollow.

Inside sat a small, leather bound book. It's pages glowed from within, and a few runes danced over the cover. Trixie's eyes grew very wide and bright, as she reached down for it.

A vent cover was kicked open, and out of an air duct the Mysterious Mare-Do-Well leaped.

"STOP!"She cried, but her cry came too late. Trixie exploded with light and power as a great wind emerged from the grimoire. Her eyes were wide and glowing.. Before they narrowed and a wicked smile came over her face.

"Great. And. POWERFUL!" She cried, lightning crackling around her as she laughed in glee. Sundance stared in horror and disbelief... And then groaned as she facehoofed.

"Me and my big mouth..."

Author's Note (READ):

I've decided to go back and do a lot of editing and revision of Progress. The revised edition will be going up on FIMfiction, while the original version will remain here.

The revised version cuts the Ponies in SPACE arc entirely. I might do it later, I might not but for now it's stricken from the Progress canon. Instead, I'm going to write a new chapter in between the two Dreamlands chapters to explain Sundance's pregnancy which will make it's debut on FIMFiction. Current working title is "Luna versus Pregnancy".

The good news is that this technically makes "Luna versus Threesome" canon, so enjoy you perverts. ;)

The chapter will be posted as an interlude here on Fanfiction dot net after the conclusion of the Luna vs. Vigilantism arc. Just make sure to read the author's notes so you can keep track of the whole thing. Hopefully, better than I have.

Until then, enjoy!

The author would like to thank you for your continued support. Your review has been posted.